Appetite for China: Da Dong Beijing Roast Duck

When in Beijing, one must at least sample the world famous Peking Duck...or what the locals call Bei Jing Kao Ya...Beijing roast duck.

Much has been written about these ducks...the species, I am told is special, particularly succulent, just the right size. And there are roughly two methods of roasting them...one is the traditional way of pumping the duck up with air, and left to dry overnight, and then roasted in an oven, and another is to coat the skin with maltose and hanged in a hot wood fired oven. Quang Ju De is one of the former, and I tried the roast duck at their huge restaurant in Wang Fu Jin. But I was unimpressed. The duck was very fat, the skin crispy, but not spectacularly so. The restaurant, which is quite large...I suspect can easily seat 1000 diners at one go, was quite traditional, and...in a way rather plain. I did not take photographs, as I had just returned from the Temple of Heaven and only had the Hasselblad in my camera bag.



I had, the day before sampled the more avant garde Da Dong. Covered in his interesting documentary "In Search of Perfection", by 3 star Michelin chef Heston Blumenthal, Da Dong's approach is different. And the restaurant in the fashionable Jin Bao Place is also equally fashionable. It looked more like a Michelin starred restaurant...with the duck ovens, all 4 of them, each capable of roasting 10 ducks at a time taking center stage. Quite a fanfare in delivering the ducks that are carved at your table (at Quang Ju De, you pay more for this privillage). The decor is modern. And the place impeccable.


Ducks roasting in the wood fired oven.

Interestingly, the prices are very similar. RMB240 approx for a whole duck.

We started with the Doumiao...which is rather difficult to find good, fresh, large leaved ones in Singapore...this was very nice...even the presentation was given a good thought, rather unusual for a China restaurant, in my experience



Excellent. Loved it.

During the first visit, we also ordered some noodles and a foie gras fried rice



The lobster noodle was ok. The soup was mildly tasty of lobster, with two lobster meat chunks within. The noodles were typical Beijing la mien...cooked a bit too soft for my liking. But was still rather tasty.



The liver rice was fragrant. The bits of duck liver was fairly liberally over the rice, which was long grained fragrant rice.

On our second visit, we had the fried millet with eel, which I found to be rather spectacular, if a bit greasy.



The eel was nicely fried with the millet, and the dish was very delicious.

But we came for the duck...so how was it? Quite spectacular I must say.

We ordered half a duck, which was roasted in the demonstration kitchen right in the middle of the restaurant, in full view of the patrons. I counted each roasting was 10 ducks, each hanging within the ovens till it was roasted to perfection.



There were perhaps 5 chefs attending to the fires of the wood oven, and carefully removing the ducks when they were done. It was brought to the center, where the serving chefs...who ceremoniously carry the beautifully roasted duck to be carved at your table are awaiting. The liquid within the duck is released, the beak broken off with a quick snap, and the duck is paraded through the restaurant till your table.



A slice of skin is first carved from the belly. This is then carefully squared, and suggested to be eaten with a sprinkling of plain cane sugar.



The rest of the duck is deftly carved into a neat pile of meat and skin...the head is halved, so the brain is presented, and the leg is presented whole. This was for an order of half a duck.



One needs to order the garnishing separately:



From top left clockwise, red radish, grated garlic, cane sugar, sweet black sauce, white spring onions, grated radish, beans and julianned cucumber.

The rest of the duck is presented to be eaten in two ways. First, with the garnishes in a crisp skin bun, which is empty within.



This was an interesting way to eat Beijing Duck. The sesame on the bun's crisp, light skin goes well with the rich duck, sauced and garnished.

The traditional way of eating it within a steamed pancake was also offered



The pancake here is a bit springy, nice texture. Smooth, and a light wheaty taste. Goes well with the duck. The meat of the duck itself was a succulent, while not fat at all. The skin was wonderfully crispy.

Coming back to the skin, the belly skin, which was carefully prepared in the first step of the carving is to be eaten dipped in the cane sugar...



This was perfect skin...no fat, only a bit of crisp, maltosed skin. And not surprisingly, goes well with just sugar...



Here, the flavours meet...the skin was so superbly light and crisp...the sugar bringing up the caramalised maltose. Perfect!

A duck bone soup was also served with the duck...I found this to be a bit heavy on the duck flavour...but grew to like it quite a bit as a savoury, rich soup



We were offered a free sesame dessert the first time we visited, but the second visit, they did not offer this to us...



But both times, a fruit platter was offered gratis:



The melon was very sweet, the watermelon was reasonably sweet...and the fresh hawthorn an unusual treat for us who live in South East Asia.

Overall, a superior Beijing Duck meal. And though considered an expensive meal in Beijing, by Singapore standards are very reasonable. I much prefer the taste of the duck and other dishes of Da Dong when compared to Quang Ju De. Ambience and service...for me hands down much better at Da Dong. Though I must mention the variable service in the two visits I made to Da Dong...the first time, we were offered a sesame dessert, the second time round no hot dessert. The first time round, the waitress offered to show us how to eat the duck in the various methods...the second time, we were left to our devices...perhaps we looked like we were experienced diners by then.

But highly recommended for Beijing Duck when in Beijing.


Da Dong
5/F, Jinbao Dasha, Jinbao Jie, Dongcheng District
Daily 11am-10pm
8522 1234

Jiang Nan Chun...old favourite

Hotel cuisine can be extremely good, or rather passe. This is an example of one which is very good. Suffice it to say that all dishes were very good, and a few outstanding.This was a banquet, recently organized by The Hour Glass and Moser (a very unique watch manufacturer based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland).

The starter is a two piece combination of a prawn in a mango sauce and a pancake of roasted duck.



The prawn was fresh, of course...crunchy, and the rich mango sauce complemented it very well. The duck pancake reminded me of Peking Duck, but the within there was a crispy bean curd, and instead of a piece of crisp duck with skin, the duck was roasted nicely, with a great aroma, but I did not detect the crisp skin. Nice nonetheless.

The soup was a di regeur of a shark's fin soup with conpoy and shreded chicken.



This dish was not exceptional, but was deftly prepared by the chef, and tasted good.

We next had the fish, which I declared a total winner



This is a baked cod in a miso sauce. The fish was superbly fresh, cooked just right...and the sauce, as we already know from other samplings elsewhere, goes very well and plays accompaniment to the fish...allowing the fish to shine, but complementing always.

The braised pork ribs were next:



This was again quite normal. I found the pork to be a bit too fat. And the lean parts of the meat not as tender as I would have liked. The mantou was excellent...good flavour, soft and moist within with a nice crisp crust.

The rice was next



Quite nicely fried. No oily texture. The rice was beautifully fragrant. Bits of prawn and scallop liberally found within. The addition of chilli padi lifted the dish for me.

And finally the dessert...a bit avant garde...



Chilled mango sago with lemongrass jelly...nicely finishing the meal.

Definitely worth revisits, with some outstanding dishes, and some good, but not spectacular ones.



Jiang Nan Chun
Four Seasons Hotel
Singapore

Simple meals: unagi in Nikko

Sometimes, the simplest foods are the best...after a morning of hiking to photograph the sights in Nikko, I was rather tired...so just dropped into the nearest restaurant.

And the unagi caught my eye...normally I wouldn't have ordered unagi in a non-specialist restaurant in Japan...but I was tired, and the picture looked good...There is actually a famous unagi restaurant on the same road (Route 190), but I couldn't find it, and with my 12kg camera back begining to take its toll...I decided to eat at this restaurant.

But first, a refreshing beer...Kirin is superb.



Ahhhh....good...

And the unagi?



Superb. The meat was light, ultra tender...and beautiful...rich creamy on the palate. The skin was almost crisp, but just shy...beautiful.

Somewhere in Nikko..just opposite Shinkyo. The restaurant is on the second floor.

p.s. Some readers will know that as this post goes on line, I am in Beijing...I am not sure, but many people tell me that I will not be able to access blogspot and facebook while there...but anyway, I am putting this post online on Friday evening before I leave to be published on Tue.

Outstanding Cze Chars: Hui Wei

Discovering new Cze Char places is an interesting pasttime...not only often the food is superb and satisfying, but also the cost is managable and often inexpensive.

Hui Wei was one such discovery. I first came across it while googling cze chars...and I came across the SG on Foot site. So off with my former IATA colleagues we went...



Indescript, and I was told, just opened...they have a full menu...in English and Chinese no less...and the chap who came to take our order spoke English. Impressive.

We ordered away, as is typical of this group...

First, the amazingly good steamed Signature fish head:



Superb! Truly magnificent. The fish head was truly fresh, so no fishy odours...was cooked perfectly...like I like it. Just shy of fully cooked through...if we adapt the terminology used for steaks, I would call it medium rare...just a tinge of pink at the core, by the bone. And the green Thai sauce...superb. Truly superb. Did I say magnificent? Brings back memories of many of the meals I had with Acharn Thanet in Bangkok where the steamed fish is served with a green spicy, piquant, sour, sweet, salty sauce. Marvellous. This dish is enough to bring me back many times.

But there is more! The Thai Style Chicken is also very, very good...



Looks are certainly deceiving. The dish looked pedestrian. But taste wise, it was outstanding. Tender chunks of chicken, each coated with a beautiful sweet, sour and spicy sauce. Lovely.

Another outstanding dish is their mixed vegetables with lotus roots



The lotus roots are deep fried till it is like a cracker, then stir fried with the vegetables in a gravy like sauce. Excellent.

And the Thai Chilli Prawns



Another winner. The sauce was a bit like the one we typically eat with our chilli crab. With an egg stirred in during the last moments of preparation to make what the Cantonese call "wat tan". The fragrance is beautiful...the prawns, fresh, succulent and tasty.

Best of all, none of us suffered from MSG-ism after the lunch...since we were in the area, we headed for some coffee at Loysel's Toy.

I spied on their menu that they have KL Yuang Yang and KL Hor Fun...will definitely want to try that next time...Will be back soon...



Hui Wei Chinese-Thai Cuisine
Blk 802 French Road #01-69
Website: http://www.huiwei.com.sg

Daily: 1045am - 215pm (Lunch)
430pm - 1030pm (Dinner)

Tsukiji market and the best sushi ever!

Tsukiji Market is a real revelation. Always. I have been to the market, perhaps 3 or 4 times, and each time, it is a wonderful experience. The arrangements for tourists to view the auction has always been changing...and currently, they take about 120 pax who must all be present at 5am, and will be allocated into 2 groups...one batch at 5:15am and another at 5:45am.

I missed the auction this time...as I got to Tsujiki with Unicorn at about 5:10am, and we missed the registration. Feeling a bit down, we looked around elsewhere in the market, looking at shop upon shop of bonito sellers...we then found the fish wholesale place. Where the fish comes out after the auction. And actually met a fish monger who is practicing his craft of carving entire tunas into restaurant sized chunks.



And surprises! He welcomed us to look and photograph, and he spoke English!



Two red tunas were delivered...one about 40kg, and the other 80kg



It is a two man job wrestling the tuna onto the cutting table.

Then after some cleaning of the fish, and knives. I forget to ask him what he was using to clean the fish, but I think its an alcohol...like the alcohol swab you get before the doctor plunges his needle for your injection.



The process seemed almost ritualistic...zen like. He seemed totally focussed...almost like in a trance.



After a few deftly executed cuts...the head's off




And he began with a large knife, making incisions along the back, filleting the large fish. Alternating from a large, sword like knife and a smaller one which looks like a cook's knife.



Ah, a smile lit up his face as he opened the fillet..."very good!", he exclaimed in English...looking at us,"this is a very good day. I am very happy".



We talked for a bit, and went across the small lane, avoiding the little motorized vehicles which were towing trolleys laden with tuna, and came across one of the few sushiyas which did not feature a long queue. And had sushi for breakfast.

Look at the slice of otoro...



Unicorn with the Maguro Sushi set Y3500



A closer look at the set



The otoro sushi...yum...



The taste was unbelievable. Unicorn pronounced it the best sushi he has eaten. The fats just dissolve in your mouth almost on contact and the slightest tongue pressure. Almost like caviar.

We just had to then share another order of maguro sashimi



Look at the shimofuri (snow flake, a term also used to describe the similar look on a piece of wagyu)...and the beautiful, marbling...amazing!



And I totally concur with Unicorn...best sushi I ever had.





Not sure of the address...the row of shops just outside Tsukiji Fish Market wholesale area.
Tsukiji, Tokyo, Japan

Apologies for inconsistent colour temperature...instead of using the AWB in my GH-2, I mistakenly set it for tungsten.

Search for Ramen 11: Keisuke at Orchid Hotel

My makan buddy Larry called up excited after reading a few blogs on this ramen place. He even took a recce drive by Tras Street and studied the queue pattern of the little restaurant in the newly opened Orchid Hotel. He concluded that to eat early, and well, we needed to be there by 11:20am.


Queue at 11:58am when we had finished our lunch

The restaurant opens at 11:30am...when we arrived at 20 minutes past the eleventh hour, there was already one lady in front of us in the queue...and within a minute after we arrived, a group of perhaps 3 office workers arrived, and queued behind us...and a few minutes later, more of their friends joined, making the group to be about 16 pax just at opening time.



The restaurant is very tiny. A counter, and perhaps 4 small tables. And max capacity is probably no more than 18. The doors swung open at precisely 11:30, "irashimase!!!"....the entire staff seemed to be young Japanese chaps. The wall was decorated with classical Japanese movie posters...the place really reminded me of Tokyo. Incidentally, at publishing time, I am in Tokyo, having arrived the night before to do a series of interviews and talks to promote my book. I will be eating at San Pau, a 3 star Michelin restaurant in Spain, which has a branch in Tokyo...which I understand is also Michelin starred. And will report on that. And of course, more street food in Tokyo. I will also be travelling to Nikko to photograph the fall colours, so watch out for that in my photo blog.

Anyway, back to ramen...

To minimise confusion, oen places one's order by ticking a small piece of menu, like tim sum...type of broth - spicy, regular or black sesame. Strength of broth - strong, medium, light. Amount of fat - a lot, regular, little. And hardness of noodles - soft, medium, hard. They indicated that medium was the style they serve in Japan.

While you wait, you can feast on the free help yourself pickeled taugeh and hard boiled eggs on the table.



Larry pronounced the taugeh to be super shiok. Spicy, crunchy. Sweet.

So Alan ordered a regular tonkotsu broth in regular strength, with medium fat, medium done-ness.



We all had a taste of each other's broth. Alan's broth was good...thick, savoury. Rich.

Larry had the spicy:



The same stock base, but now spiced up with the chilli. Very nice. Note the large piece of dried seaweed sticking out on the side of the bowl. Shiok.

And mine...black sesame with strong broth, and hard noodles...



Superb. The black sesame brought out the full flavour of the pork bone broth. If you shy away from strong porky flavour, this might not be the soup for you. But I love the robust, thick, almost creamy, rich tasting broth. Very good. The chasu was beautifully done, thinly sliced, and oh so melt in your mouth. We all ordered medium fats...and noticed pieces of uncooked lard floating in the broth. Not bad, but I think next time, I will ask for less fats.

My noodles were "al dente"...to use an Italian term to describe Japanese noodles. Very good. The egg was also superb...almost semi-liquid within, tasty.


Overall, one of the better ramen places. The scene is hotting up since I began to chronicle the ramen places in Singapore with my Quest for Ramen series. Now we have a stable stock of ramenyas to choose from. Tampopo, Santouka, Menya Shinchan, Ippudo, and now Keisuke. Ganbettei!



Keisuke Tonkotsu King (Orchid Hotel)
1 Tras Link, #01-19 Orchid Hotel, Singapore
Tel:6636 0855

Daily: 11.30am–3pm, 6pm–10.30pm

Kaiho Sushi

Sushi...where to go for a good one? I usually shy away from sushi and sashimi joints in Singapore...too many mediocre ones. Especially when compared to what real sushi/sashimi can be like in Japan. But every once in a while, I do crave for a nice sushi...and one of the "secret" places to indulge...um, reasonably priced...is Kaiho Sushi.

Run by chef owner Bernard...I hear he is a protege of the godfather of sushi in Singapore...Nogawa...but I did not confirm with him when I was there.



The place is in a small corner, tucked away in a building, which is not known for its kosher activities...many Japanese themed bars and clubs abound as its neighbours. But step into this little restaurant, and one is almost transformed into a little diner in Tokyo. During peak hours, the place is filled with Japanese salarymen, eating and drinking. This is a good sign. But how's the food?

We decided to try the less expensive first, and if it proves good (cut to the chase, it DOES prove very good!!), we'll come back for the Chef's Omakase ($60 or $100), which strikes me as very reasonable.

Kin had the sushi set...first the sushi:



Actually superb. Not frozen seafood here. No icicles on the fish. Properly thawed...the fish is almost room temperature, like it is served in Japan. Fresh. Very nice.

The set comes with chawanmushi and a hand roll together with a bowl of miso soup.



All were delicious. The chawanmushi is very smooth, creamy.

Edward had the fish set, which, surprise, came as two servings:

A salmon and ikura don



Again, superb quality salmon slices, with a nice heap of ikura. Very good.

And a grilled saba and simmered vegetables bento.



The saba was superb. Oily, fresh, and perfectly grilled. Accompanying is a small tempura vegetalbe and simmered daikon.

I had the anago set...fresh grilled sea eel.



The eel was superb. Very light tasting, the sauce is gently applied, and sparsely so as not to upset the delicate balance of the anago, the eel is superb. Beautiful, oily mouthfeel without any of the nasty oil taste. The meat was smooth, creamy...very nice.

For desserts, we had a trio of ice cream/sorbets...clockwise from the top...Green Tea, Lemon sorbet, sesame



Nice way to end a great meal. Certainly value for money, as all three sets were below $30 each. And certainly worth many more return visits.



Sushi Kaiho
5 Koek Road
#03-01/02 Cuppage Plaza

Tue–Sun: 12pm – 2.30pm, 6.30pm – 11pm
(Closed on Mon)

Peramakan: Best Peranakan in Singapore?

The Peranakans: or local born literally in Malay. Perhaps a little history...the majority of the Chinese in South East Asia (typically Malaysia and Singapore) have been in the region for perhaps 100 years. Most have two or three generations who are born in SEA, and can trace grandfathers or great grandfathers who were born in China, mainly the Southern provinces of Fujian and Swatow (hence predominance of Hokkiens and Teochews), Canton (Cantonese is perhaps the largest minority within the Chinese here), Hainan and some Khek (which, as the name suggest: guest...so were itinerant people).

However, the Peranakans have been here longer. We settled in the area some 700 years ago, in the 15th Century with Zheng He and his fleet. Many who remained were scholars, artisans who were part of his crew because the Emperor of China wanted to spread and impress the world with Chinese culture. So many of the Peranakans have been here for some 600 years. According to my late father, our family have been local born for at least 10 generations, tracing perhaps some 300 to 400 years in the region. Typical of many Peranakan families, he spoke to his mother in Malay and was English educated so spoke to his father and brothers in English. At home, we spoke English, but as my mother was not English speaking, as our ancestors came from Amoy in Fujian, we spoke Hokkien.

The cuisine of the Peranakans are also unique. Mainly I understand the Singapore and Malacca Peranakans are more similar and closer to each other than the Penang Peranakans, who perhaps may be linked to the Medan Peranakan in Sumatra.

An example is the use of buah keluak in the meat dishes, particularly chicken. This is a very typical and well loved dish for the Southern Peranakans (Singapore and Malacca), and not as well treasured by the Nothern cousins (Penang and Medan). Peramakan presents, perhaps the best ayam buah keluak (braised chicken with spices and buah keluak)



This is classical ayam buah keluak. The nut is carefully prepared to rid it of toxins, the fleshy part of the nut itself is removed, minced with pork and stuffed back into the shell. The filled shells are then simmered as a stew with the chicken and spices for a long time to make this dish. Usually the balance of the stuffed buah keluak is questionable. The one served by Spice Peranakan I reviewed some time ago was a bit salty. Peramakan's version is all at once aromatic, and well balanced. Very good with the chicken gravy and the chicken.

As this was also an occassion to introduce my Californian friend to local cuisne...an adventurous fellow at that...afterall he spends up to 3 weeks a month in Seoul, so would perhaps be a bit more used to Asian eating habits and spicy food.

We also ordered the beef rendang.



Shin muscles were used...with the beautiful connective tissues still intact, but rendered so tender it literally melts in your mouth. The spices are a bit mild, but still very aromatic. Perhaps one of the best beef rendangs I have tasted. This is the Peranakan style, as my mother would cook...only that she too honours the Peramakan version with her praises. The style is different from the Malay rendang, which uses tougher meat, typically rump with little connective tissues, and made dry, with desiccated coconut bits. Both have their virtues.

We also sampled the ikan masak assam nenas (fish cooked with tamarind and pineapple)



This is another typical dish. Piquant, spicy, a balance of sour, a touch of sweet. The fish was fresh, and beautifully cooked. If prepared at home, the fish would have been simmered in the assam sauce, but typically in restaurants, the sauce is cooked separately, and the steamed fish added. This is evidenced by the pure white insides of the meat, as simmering the fish within the sauce would stain the insides with the colour of the sauce. For me, this is a superb dish...if I had to nitpick, a touch less sugar in the gravy would make it even better.

We also had a salad, which the Peranakans call cheh hu...or Pasembur...a kind of Peranakan rojak....



Julianed cucumber, yam bean, bean curd, prawn fritters, bean sprouts covered in a generous serving of a mild, brown gravy, with crushed peanuts. In comparison to the Padang Pasembur in Penang, this was a bit mild, and um, perhaps not as generous. I also did not find the crispy prawn fritters embedded within. So in comparison, Padang's Pasembur wins hands down. But the Peramakan offering is still very delicious, testament to the very fresh vegetables used, and the chef's ingenuinity to balance the gravy to provide a rich, smothering mouthfeel to contrast the crunchy vegetables within, highlited by the crispy crackers which have been broken and mixed into the dish. Nice.

For desserts, we see the braveness of our Californian visitor...we suggested durian pengat, and he gladly finished the bowl and proclaimed it delicious:



Pengat is also a typical Peranakan dish...durians are mixed with a secret concoction of flour, coconut milk, gula melaka and pumpkin and sweet potatos. I guess the best way to describe it is durian mousse with pumpkin and sweet potatos. Peramakan serves this dessert with aplomb. Not many restaurants offer this because of the long and complex preparation. But this pengat is as good as any I have eaten.

I have used this blog entry to allow some exposition on Peranakan history and the slight differences between the Southern and Northern strains. But as a review of Peramakan, this is a glowing one. I would rate Peramakan as probably the best Peranakan restaurant in Singapore. The food is exceedingly good, and true to its roots. Service is quiet, smooth, swift and friendly. And the ambience of the restaurant, located at the top floor of a Golf Club is nice and dignified. Highly recommended.




Level 3, Keppel Club
10 Bukit Chermin Road

65 63772829
kelvinlee@peramakan.com
Open daily
11:30 am to 3:00 pm (last order: 2:30 pm)
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm (last order: 9:30 pm